Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements PAVED Arts

On March 14, 2025, Interdisciplinary artist Cheryl L'Hirondelle's installation Why The Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements opened at PAVED Arts in Saskatoon with a warm reception. Since 2020, this exhibit has toured to Prince Albert and Regina; this year's exhibition marks the third instalment of this phenomenal, multisensorial experience. L’Hirondelle has been engaging incarcerated populations for many years, and began working with Common Weal Community Arts inside Saskatchewan corrections facilities in 2008. This was the beginning of a long, productive partnership with the Governor General award-winning artist.  

 Why The Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements, was curated by Northern Artistic Director Judy McNaughton, and features media and sensory-rich experiences using virtual reality (VR), video, hyper-directional audio, and olfactory sensations that forge immersive experiences, along with lyrics, voices, and musical arrangements from the artist’s decades-long songwriting practice with detained and incarcerated co-writers.  Cheryl was invited to present an artist talk at Kenderdine Art Gallery in the afternoon of March 14, 2025 where she discussed her practice while providing visitors with a deeper understanding of the new exhibition. Cheryl’s talk coincided with the Indigenous Achievement Week at the U of S, taking place from March 10th to 14th. Later that day, was the PAVED Arts exhibition opening reception, which was a lively event with a kitchen party energy, including a variety of visual artists, musicians, and academics among the many guests.

On the evening of April 17, the exhibition concluded with an intimate concert boasting several well-known and versatile Saskatchewan musicians performing arrangements from the original songwriting project by Cheryl L’Hirondelle, interspersed with original songs by musical guests, including Berk Jodoin, Stacey Springall (and the Real Deal) and Nikamok. Special guest Lindsay Knight (AKA  Eekwol)  joined the ensemble, free-styling to the delight of the packed house. In the spirit of the project, audience members danced and sang along with the roster of musicians, which also included Joseph Naytowhow, Helen Pridmore, Aspen Beveridge, Romeo Klyne, Kurtis Kopp, and Ross Nykiforuk.  The concert’s  infectious camaraderie seemed to echo the spirit of radical inclusion Cheryl had manifested in her original corrections song wiring collaborations, and the empathy we were able to feel in the immersive artworks they inspired.